Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Meilen: $3,386 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
Learn more

Meilen Living Index

Jump to prices

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Meilen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Basel and in Meilen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,386 in Meilen.

Basel $3,669
Meilen $3,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,977 in Meilen.

Basel $5,649
Meilen $5,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $8,568 in Meilen.

Basel $7,629
Meilen $8,568

Living in Basel is roughly 8% more expensive than in Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Meilen 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.97

$32.96 CHF 27.19

-8.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$120 CHF 98.8

4.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$16.48 CHF 13.60

8.68%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$6.36 CHF 5.24

2.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$5.76 CHF 4.75

12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$5.25 CHF 4.33

12.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.63 CHF 7.12

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$8.56 CHF 7.06

10.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.18 CHF 1.80

5.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-12.57%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.85 CHF 6.48

1.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.73

$26.09 CHF 21.52

0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$25.84 CHF 21.32

5.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$39.94 CHF 32.94

3.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.49 CHF 2.88

6.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.11 CHF 1.74

9.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.71 CHF 2.24

11.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.75

$4.50 CHF 3.71

0.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-18.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-12.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.26 CHF 1.04

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$11.05 CHF 9.12

0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$13.29 CHF 10.96

-10.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.25 CHF 1.85

8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$4.43 CHF 3.65

17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$102 CHF 84.2

2.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$7.64 CHF 6.30

4.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.50 CHF 3.71

2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$87.5 CHF 72.2

-4.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.19 CHF 1.81

10.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-0.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

2.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$296 CHF 244

$234 CHF 193

26.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$38.39 CHF 31.67

20.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$64.6 CHF 53.3

-2.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$90.9 CHF 75.0

-9.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$45.64 CHF 37.65

27.65%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$23.65 CHF 19.51

-3.42%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$2,822 CHF 2,328

11.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

-23.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$138 CHF 114

4.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$58.1 CHF 47.96

37.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$145 CHF 120

9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$175 CHF 144

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,778 CHF 1,466

17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,463 CHF 1,207

12.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$2,894 CHF 2,388

24.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,447

$4,088 CHF 3,372

-27.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

6.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

8.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,840

$8,262 CHF 6,815

-14.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.72

40.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2% 11.2% $184

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Meilen

$572 16.9% 1.9% $11

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Meilen

$494 14.6% 0.8% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Meilen

$337 10% 16.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Meilen

$232 6.9% 10.9% $28

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Meilen

$150 4.4% 4.3% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Meilen

$138 4.1% 8.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,778 in Meilen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $120 in Meilen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $572 per month, with Meilen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

13,515

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel Meilen 85 km

From you

Basel
Meilen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Basel vs Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meilen wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meilen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Basel. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,778 in Meilen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,822 in Meilen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Meilen – a meal for two runs $120 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Meilen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Basel and Meilen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.